An arrogant prodigy, seeking his destiny, is prophesied to bring about the end of the world.

Sound familiar? Think you know where this is heading?

Lemme stop you right there. This is my story. I’m the one destined to destroy the world. And if you’ve seen anything about my life so far, you know just how stupid such a prophecy is.

Oh, you’d never realized I existed until just now? We’ve never met? You’ve never been out to the farm before?

Let me explain it for you from the beginning. When I was ten or eleven, I thought I had something special. I was bigger than the other kids my age. Stronger. I had power channels that rivaled the traveling power trainers who would come by on market days. I could manifest three independent sparks of power!

I was going places and I knew it, so I saved up for months until the autumn market festival. The power trainers looked for me but I denied them, for that day I had a more important task.

I sought the Seer.

I paid her fee and sat at her feet, and she reached out as she’d done for so many others. Nearly everyone, she would touch gently on the forehead, shake her head, and declare ‘There is no destiny for you but that which you create for yourself.’ I’d seen it enough times. But I knew there were exceptions. Once, a girl had sat before her, and the Seer recoiled without even touching her, declaring that one day the girl would rule the entire region.

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I knew I had to be an exception too. There was no other choice. I was special. I was powerful. I had to have a destiny.

So I paid her fee, and sat at her feet, and she reached out toward me, then hesitated without making contact.

“You will end the world,” she croaked out, her voice barely audible. “You are doom itself.”

Sounds familiar, right? Bet you know what’s coming next, do you?

My parents were not happy. They forbad me from attending school for fear of my education providing more ideas for global destruction. They forbade any practice of fighting or even wrestling. And they assigned me a constant stream of menial chores sufficient to wear the spark of defiance out of me so completely that I’d have no time to think about destruction, let alone bring it about.

Oh, I see you say, of course. The oppression of those who should be his protectors, it will drive him into darkness. He’ll whisper promises of vengeance into the night as he lays exhausted on his bed, and so the prophecy will be fulfilled.

If you really believe that, you’re an idiot. Do you think I want to destroy the world? Do you think I care that I couldn’t go to school? I hated that stupid place. Do you imagine for a moment that a life of hard effort safely tucked away where no one will ever be threatened by me is anything but a blessing?

I’m here for your protection as well as mine. And I’ve no intention of ever stepping foot outside of this farm. As far as I’m concerned, prophecy can go die in a fire. This is my life.

Prophecy chasers. Bah.

Now get off my lawn or I'll set my grandson's dog on ya.

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